A main and very appealing element in the intricate canvas representing Shanghai streets is the abundance of street sellers and food stalls. These stalls are interwoven into the fabric of the alleys, streets and neighborhoods of this enigmatic city. You see them everywhere you look and you can smell their fried dumplings, their noodles, their scallion pancakes and their deep fried stinky tofu (it really is called stinky because it is quite overwhelming). Despite efforts from the safety food commission to ban these stalls in the city and force them to adhere to licensing and specific locations and schedules, luckily they continue to mushroom throughout the city adding to the character and charm of this massive metropolis.
I do hope they stay, because forcing something so integral out of a society’s daily life is almost like ripping its essence out and leaving it bare and colorless.
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